diff --git a/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteBayesNet.h b/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteBayesNet.h
index d78eed08f..aed4cec0a 100644
--- a/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteBayesNet.h
+++ b/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteBayesNet.h
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@
 #include <boost/shared_ptr.hpp>
 #include <gtsam/inference/BayesNet.h>
 #include <gtsam/inference/FactorGraph.h>
+#include <gtsam/discrete/DiscretePrior.h>
 #include <gtsam/discrete/DiscreteConditional.h>
 
 namespace gtsam {
@@ -75,6 +76,11 @@ namespace gtsam {
     // Add inherited versions of add.
     using Base::add;
 
+    /** Add a DiscretePrior using a table or a string */
+    void add(const DiscreteKey& key, const std::string& spec) {
+      emplace_shared<DiscretePrior>(key, spec);
+    }
+
     /** Add a DiscreteCondtional */
     template <typename... Args>
     void add(Args&&... args) {
diff --git a/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteConditional.h b/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteConditional.h
index e8cf6afe0..e95dfb515 100644
--- a/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteConditional.h
+++ b/gtsam/discrete/DiscreteConditional.h
@@ -81,6 +81,20 @@ public:
                       const std::string& spec)
       : DiscreteConditional(Signature(key, parents, spec)) {}
 
+  /// No-parent specialization; can also use DiscretePrior.
+  DiscreteConditional(const DiscreteKey& key, const std::string& spec)
+      : DiscreteConditional(Signature(key, {}, spec)) {}
+
+  /// Single-parent specialization
+  DiscreteConditional(const DiscreteKey& key, const std::string& spec,
+                      const DiscreteKey& parent1)
+      : DiscreteConditional(Signature(key, {parent1}, spec)) {}
+
+  /// Two-parent specialization
+  DiscreteConditional(const DiscreteKey& key, const std::string& spec,
+                      const DiscreteKey& parent1, const DiscreteKey& parent2)
+      : DiscreteConditional(Signature(key, {parent1, parent2}, spec)) {}
+
   /** construct P(X|Y)=P(X,Y)/P(Y) from P(X,Y) and P(Y) */
   DiscreteConditional(const DecisionTreeFactor& joint,
       const DecisionTreeFactor& marginal);
diff --git a/gtsam/discrete/discrete.i b/gtsam/discrete/discrete.i
index 9782480c3..f2e7456d8 100644
--- a/gtsam/discrete/discrete.i
+++ b/gtsam/discrete/discrete.i
@@ -84,10 +84,17 @@ virtual class DiscretePrior : gtsam::DiscreteConditional {
 };
 
 #include <gtsam/discrete/DiscreteBayesNet.h>
-class DiscreteBayesNet { 
+class DiscreteBayesNet {
   DiscreteBayesNet();
-  void add(const gtsam::DiscreteKey& key,
-           const gtsam::DiscreteKeys& parents, string spec);
+  void add(const gtsam::DiscreteConditional& s);
+  void add(const gtsam::DiscreteKey& key, string spec);
+  void add(const gtsam::DiscreteKey& key, string spec,
+           const gtsam::DiscreteKey& parent1);
+  void add(const gtsam::DiscreteKey& key, string spec,
+           const gtsam::DiscreteKey& parent1,
+           const gtsam::DiscreteKey& parent2);
+  void add(const gtsam::DiscreteKey& key, const gtsam::DiscreteKeys& parents,
+           string spec);
   bool empty() const;
   size_t size() const;
   gtsam::KeySet keys() const;
@@ -98,15 +105,13 @@ class DiscreteBayesNet {
   bool equals(const gtsam::DiscreteBayesNet& other, double tol = 1e-9) const;
   string dot(const gtsam::KeyFormatter& keyFormatter =
                  gtsam::DefaultKeyFormatter) const;
-  void saveGraph(string s,
-                const gtsam::KeyFormatter& keyFormatter =
-                 gtsam::DefaultKeyFormatter) const;
-  void add(const gtsam::DiscreteConditional& s);
+  void saveGraph(string s, const gtsam::KeyFormatter& keyFormatter =
+                               gtsam::DefaultKeyFormatter) const;
   double operator()(const gtsam::DiscreteValues& values) const;
   gtsam::DiscreteValues optimize() const;
   gtsam::DiscreteValues sample() const;
   string markdown(const gtsam::KeyFormatter& keyFormatter =
-                 gtsam::DefaultKeyFormatter) const;
+                      gtsam::DefaultKeyFormatter) const;
 };
 
 #include <gtsam/discrete/DiscreteBayesTree.h>
diff --git a/gtsam/discrete/tests/testDiscreteBayesNet.cpp b/gtsam/discrete/tests/testDiscreteBayesNet.cpp
index ea5816566..7a5f180ad 100644
--- a/gtsam/discrete/tests/testDiscreteBayesNet.cpp
+++ b/gtsam/discrete/tests/testDiscreteBayesNet.cpp
@@ -75,8 +75,8 @@ TEST(DiscreteBayesNet, bayesNet) {
 TEST(DiscreteBayesNet, Asia) {
   DiscreteBayesNet asia;
 
-  asia.add(Asia % "99/1");
-  asia.add(Smoking % "50/50");
+  asia.add(Asia, "99/1");
+  asia.add(Smoking % "50/50");  // Signature version
 
   asia.add(Tuberculosis | Asia = "99/1 95/5");
   asia.add(LungCancer | Smoking = "99/1 90/10");
diff --git a/python/gtsam/tests/test_DiscreteBayesNet.py b/python/gtsam/tests/test_DiscreteBayesNet.py
index bf09da193..706cdf93d 100644
--- a/python/gtsam/tests/test_DiscreteBayesNet.py
+++ b/python/gtsam/tests/test_DiscreteBayesNet.py
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ Author: Frank Dellaert
 import unittest
 
 from gtsam import (DiscreteBayesNet, DiscreteConditional, DiscreteFactorGraph,
-                   DiscreteKeys, DiscreteValues, Ordering)
+                   DiscreteKeys, DiscretePrior, DiscreteValues, Ordering)
 from gtsam.utils.test_case import GtsamTestCase
 
 
@@ -53,24 +53,18 @@ class TestDiscreteBayesNet(GtsamTestCase):
         XRay = (2, 2)
         Dyspnea = (1, 2)
 
-        def P(keys):
-            dks = DiscreteKeys()
-            for key in keys:
-                dks.push_back(key)
-            return dks
-
         asia = DiscreteBayesNet()
-        asia.add(Asia, P([]), "99/1")
-        asia.add(Smoking, P([]), "50/50")
+        asia.add(Asia, "99/1")
+        asia.add(Smoking, "50/50")
 
-        asia.add(Tuberculosis, P([Asia]), "99/1 95/5")
-        asia.add(LungCancer, P([Smoking]), "99/1 90/10")
-        asia.add(Bronchitis, P([Smoking]), "70/30 40/60")
+        asia.add(Tuberculosis, "99/1 95/5", Asia)
+        asia.add(LungCancer, "99/1 90/10", Smoking)
+        asia.add(Bronchitis, "70/30 40/60", Smoking)
 
-        asia.add(Either, P([Tuberculosis, LungCancer]), "F T T T")
+        asia.add(Either, "F T T T", Tuberculosis, LungCancer)
 
-        asia.add(XRay, P([Either]), "95/5 2/98")
-        asia.add(Dyspnea, P([Either, Bronchitis]), "9/1 2/8 3/7 1/9")
+        asia.add(XRay, "95/5 2/98", Either)
+        asia.add(Dyspnea, "9/1 2/8 3/7 1/9", Either, Bronchitis)
 
         # Convert to factor graph
         fg = DiscreteFactorGraph(asia)
@@ -80,7 +74,7 @@ class TestDiscreteBayesNet(GtsamTestCase):
         for j in range(8):
             ordering.push_back(j)
         chordal = fg.eliminateSequential(ordering)
-        expected2 = DiscreteConditional(Bronchitis, P([]), "11/9")
+        expected2 = DiscretePrior(Bronchitis, "11/9")
         self.gtsamAssertEquals(chordal.at(7), expected2)
 
         # solve